He does something here that you'd think was darn near impossible - he manages to make the Holy Land look dowdy.Īppointment With Death, at area theaters, is rated PG. Crime Drama Mystery When a former prison wardress who dominates the lives of her three adult stepchildren and her daughter is found dead at an archaeological dig near the Dead Sea, there are a great many suspects. But providing even the meager pleasures of vicariously visiting exotic climes is beyond the ability of the director, Michael Winner. "Appointment," which was shot in England, Italy and Israel, is set primarily in and around Jerusalem in 1937, and, as is characteristic in these films, there is a lot of sightseeing to be done before the murderer is named (as well as mammoth chunks of exposition to be delivered). Only Gielgud - who, in order to muddle through, adopts an air of detached otherworldliness - retains his dignity. Perhaps all of them at some point in their careers have sunk lower, but it would be a grim task figuring out when. Joining him in the cast are Lauren Bacall, Piper Laurie, Carrie Fisher and John Gielgud. Once again, Peter Ustinov, master thespian, reprises his role as Christie's Belgian brain, Hercule Poirot, and what was tired in his earlier habitations of the character is even more tired this time out. In "Appointment With Death," the fourth and latest of the all-star Agatha Christie, murder-mystery/travelogue films, even the pretense of going through the motions seems to have been too much for the filmmakers.
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